Second Amendment Project newsletter, Aug. 28, 2006

About once a month, Dave
Kopel produces a free e-mail Newsletter containing short
summaries and links to important new research and writing
involving the Second Amendment and firearms policy. The
newsletter also reports on Kopel's latest writing.

The content of this newsletter is produced by the Second
Amendment Project at the Independence Institute, a think
tank in Golden, Colorado. The newsletter is electronically
distributed by the Second Amendment Foundation in Bellevue, Washington. Thus,
the Second Amendment Foundation will be given your e-mail
address.

The U.N. Wants Your Gun

"The U.N. gun control program, of which this week's
small arms conference is a part, has already caused
massive suffering and the loss of civil liberties in
many nations around the world. Americans would be
foolish to imagine that they will always be immune."

Human Rights Atrocities: The Consequences of United Nations Gun
Confiscation in East Africa

On June 26, the United Nations convened a major
conference on gun control. Before demanding further
control, the delegates ought to insist that the United
Nations halt the use of torture, arson, and murder in
the carrying-out of existing U.N. gun control programs.
U.N.-supported efforts to disarm the country population
of Kenya and Uganda are creating scores of thousands of
starving refugees.

Gun Bans & Genocide: The Disarming Facts. How gun control has been
used in the Darfur, Sudan genocide. Genocide and United
Nations disarmament in other African countries.

The international gun prohibition lobbies and their
United Nations allies insist that there is no personal
right of self-defense--that people should be forced to
rely exclusively on the government protection.

U.N. Conference Ending, Freedom Winning!!

"...the word from the United Nations small arms
conference is that the conference is concluding with NO
final document, and NO plans for any follow-up
conference. It was the latter issue that prevented an
agreement about a final document."

New by Kopel, United States

U.S. House votes to ban gun confiscation in
disasters

The House of Representatives voted 322 to 99 to
prohibit federal employees, as well as state and local
police which receive federal funding (that is, most of
them) from confiscating lawfully-owned firearms.

Handloading Regulations

"Currently, the government will not be proceeding
with any new handloading regulations. Handloading, when
properly practised, has been shown to be a safe activity
and it has a good safety record. Any potential
amendments that are made to the regulations will only be
done after a need has been established and extensive
consultations have been conducted."

India:

City women gunning for arms

"Figures available with the UT administration
indicate that in the last three years, gun licenses
issued to women have doubled. Though the numbers are
still small, the graph is unmistakable in its upward
twirl."

New Zealand:

Ordinary Kiwis Defenceless Against Armed Criminals

"In a classic case of poorly thought-out,
ideologically-driven legislation, New Zealand's gun
control laws prevent ordinary people from defending
themselves, but criminals are perfectly able to obtain
and use illegal firearms..."

Philippines:

Plan to limit ownership of guns criticized

"Officials of the Association of Firearms and
Ammunition Dealers (AFAD) yesterday criticized the
reported plan of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to
limit the ownership by civilians of firearms to just
10."

South Africa:

Gun dealers 'driven out of business'

""Ninety percent of SA's gun dealers have been driven
out of business and lost their livelihoods after the
implementation of the Firearms Control Act, Parliament's
safety and security committee heard yesterday."

UN guns meeting ends in disarray: Canada proposes
new initiative: United States opposes further review

"As a major UN conference to tighten rules for
combating the illicit gun trade ended yesterday in
disarray, Canada tried to build momentum for a new
gathering that would speed up international control of
the weapons."

Seven nations launch bid for UN curb on arms trade

"Seven nations, spanning five continents, on Monday
formally launched an initiative aimed at stifling the
supply of weapons that fuel conflicts and terrorism."
The publication that chose to quote this article, and
its companion articles on this page, are illuminating.

Control Arms: UN world conference on small arms collapses without
agreement

"The Control Arms Campaign is now taking its call for
tougher global arms controls to the UN General Assembly
in October. There, decisions are frequently put to a
vote meaning that a small minority of governments cannot
block progress. Several governments have already
indicated that they want a resolution to be put to the
UN General Assembly first committee calling for
negotiations to begin on a legally-binding global Arms
Trade Treaty."

Barr Statement on Conclusion of UN Small Arms Conference

"This latest UN conference on firearms which, like
its previous meetings, in failing to reach a consensus
on moving forward to continue its efforts to limit
firearms possession, reflects a victory for freedom and
sovereignty."

"A Mandate from Brazil"

This is a formal statement resented by Jairo Paes on
behalf of his organization to the United Nations
Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation
of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and
Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light
Weapons. Brazillians recently voted down a national ban
on civilian firearms.

Speech before the Wellington Branch of the UN Association on
Disarmament

"...Where to now? Further UN action on SALW will be
possible at the UN General Assembly First Committee,
where New Zealand usually cosponsors a Japanese
resolution. An important issue needing GA approval is
follow-up to the Review Conference. A new Group of
Governmental Experts on brokering is due to start work
at the UN in November. An open-ended working group has
been proposed by Canada at the Review Conference, funded
by voluntary contributions led by it and Switzerland. If
approved by the GA, this is likely to meet next May and
would pick up the discussion on transfer controls
specifically. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a separate
and broader issue. The UK still plans to try for a First
Committee resolution this year, providing for the
establishment of a Governmental Group of Experts to work
on a mandate for drafting an ATT. NZ has clearly
registered its interest in an ATT and we will be
continuing to promote support for it."

Coker tells Miami players no guns allowed on Hurricanes

"In the wake of a shooting incident last week near
the Miami (Fla.) campus, Hurricanes coach Larry Coker
said he plans to discourage players from owning
handguns." This story has been quoted in the August 14,
2006 issue of Sports Illustrated, p. 24.

Ed Perlmutter's Victory in Colorado Democratic Primary

"Ed Perlmutter's victory in the Colorado Seventh
Congressional district primary sends a message that
other candidates should heed - the voters want straight
talk about the gun violence threatening our communities,
and sensible solutions to prevent criminals and children
from getting guns." Perlmutter claimed that his opponent
in the Democratic primary in Colorado favored guns in
schools.

States

Indiana

Hoosiers can get gun permits for life

"Indiana is the first state in the nation to offer
residents lifetime [concealed carry] handgun permits
under a new law that went into effect this month -- a
move hailed by Second Amendment supporters and blasted
by gun-control advocates."

New York

Pataki vetoes pair of gun-related bills

"One was vetoed because it would have unintentionally
interfered with private sales through classified
advertising and the other bill contained reference to
revoking a "firearms license" when it may have meant
hunting license. Licenses, actually permits, are
required only for handguns."

Texas

Dallas may drop the hammer on toy guns

Dave LevinthalThe Dallas Morning News
August 8, 2006

"Toy guns that don't fit the city's paint/reflection
criteria would be illegal even if kept inside a private
home or vehicle, council members said."

Appeals court reverses early gun ruling

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the
federal conviction of Robert Stewart of Mesa, Ariz., for
illegal possession of five homemade machine guns.
Previously, the Court had voided his conviction because
he had made the machine guns himself, rather than
obtaining them via interstate commerce. For the case
itself, see
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/9th/0210318pv2.pdf

Massachusetts High Court Rules That Homeowners Must Lock Up Their Guns

City recoups $438k from gun maker

"The city of Boston received $438,500 in a settlement
between a pellet gun maker and the family of a college
student killed after a Boston policeman fired pepper
spray pellets into an unruly crowd celebrating a Red Sox
win."

Gun Suit Redux: Federal Court Allows Evidentiary Use of Firearms
Database On Finding That What Congress Says Now Does Not
Affect What Plaintiffs Obtained Then

This site requires free registration. Judge Weinstein
has ruled in the ongoing City of New York v. Beretta
U.S.A. Corp., 2006 WL 1109758 (E.D.N.Y., April 27, 2006)
that since New York City had already obtained
information for its suit against Beretta firearms
corporation from the Federal Firearms Database before
Congress specifically made such use illegal, the
evidence would be allowed in the case. This is
consistent with Judge Weinstein's earlier rulings
preserving the case in the face of Congressional action
to forbid such lawsuits.

ATF Director Resigns Amid Financial Probe

"The director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives announced his resignation
yesterday, six months after the launch of an internal
investigation into questionable spending on a new
headquarters and other items during his tenure."

Reference and Research

Gun Owners Become Less Vigilant As Kids Grow: Study

The new study, led by Renee Johnson of the Harvard
School of Public Health in Boston, suggests that more
attention ought to be paid to keeping those weapons away
from teenagers. The Johnson report is in the August
issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Huntandshoot.org

"Looking for a local place to shoot? A nearby hunter
safety course? Info on how to get started in shooting
sports? An outfitter for a hunting trip across the
country? r all these topics, plus many more to come,
there's now only one Web address to remember."

he Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of
Justice (NIJ) has released "Reducing Gun Violence:
Community Problem Solving in Atlanta." One in a series
of NIJ research reports on reducing gun violence, the
report features a program implemented in Atlanta, GA,
during the late 1990s to reduce juvenile gun violence.
It describes in detail the problem targeted, the program
designed to address it, and the problems confronted in
designing, implementing, and evaluating the program.
Print copies may be ordered online at
http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/shoppingcart/ShopCart.aspx?item=NCJ%20209800

Domestic Violence: Women's Shelters or the Gun Registry?

Garry Breitkreuz using those figures and others
points out the other uses to which the funds spent on
Canada's gun registry program could have been put.

This newsletter is compiled with help from Dr. Rob S.
Rice. For more on this enigmatic, if well-motivated
individual, see
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rrice/rrice_hd.html. Dr.
Rice is also a poet, novelist, and factotum of matters
electronic to Dave Kopel.

Make a donation to support Dave Kopel's work in defense of constitutional
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Nothing written here is to be construed as
necessarily representing the views of the Independence Institute or as an
attempt to influence any election or legislative action. Please send
comments to Independence Institute, 727 East 16th Ave., Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone 303-279-6536. (email)webmngr @ i2i.org